Gas-meter



C. W. HINMAN.

GAS METER.

APPUCATION HLED 1AN.24,1920.

1,376,543. Patented May s, w21.

3 sHEETs-sHEll.

VM M, @eM/M C. W. HINMAN.

GAS METER.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.24|1920 l' 1,376,548. Patented May 3,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. W. HINMAN.

GAS METER. A-PPLICATION FILED JAN.24, 1920.

Patented Mayl3,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.v

UNITED STATES CHARLES W. HINMAN, OF 'VIINCHESTT-R, IEASSACHUSETTS.

GAS-METER.

Application led January 24, 1920.

To @ZZ whom it' may co'n cernA Be it known that I, CHARLES IV. HINMAN, a citizen et the TJnited States, residing at lVinchester` in the county or Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas- Meters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to gas-station meters of the class commonly known as wet meters.7 The object ot the invention is to improve the construction of gas meters of the general character disclosed in Patents No. 638,457, granted Dec. 5, 1899, No. 1,221,179, granted April 3, 1917, and No. 1,250,176, granted Dec. 18, 1917, to the present applicant, with a view to increasing the strength and rigidity ot such meters as well as rendering them more ethcient in operation.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate what is now considered to be the preferred torni ot the present invention, Figure 1 is a view in vertical longitudinal section of the improved meter; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 2 ot Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the division walls together with the end walls which are connected therewith.

The improvedgas meter illustrated in the drawings comprises a stationary cylindrical casing l having at one end an axial gas inlet pipe or dry well 5 and at the opposite end, near the periphery, an outlet pipe 6. The casing 4 is provided in its interior with bearings 7 for the shatt 8 ot a revolving measuring drum 9, the greater portion of which is always submerged beneath the water which fills the casing to a level slightly below the upturned end of the inlet pipe 5, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The revolving measuring drum comprises a cylindrical shell 10 provided on its interior with division walls 11 to form the measuring compartments and having end walls closing the ends of the drum except for the inlet and outlet ports Jfor the gas. The cylindrical shell, the interior division walls, and the end walls are rigidly supported on the shaft 8 by means of supporting arms and braces, as will hereinafter appear. The division walls extend longi- Specfication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Serial No. 353,803.

tudinally from one end oi the drum to the otherathe outer edge of each wall extending in a direction generally oblique to the axis of lthe drum and being secured to the inner surtace of the shell 1G, while the inner edge ot each wall extends in a general direction substantially parallel to the axis of the drum and is unsecured except at the supporting arms. Each division wall thus approximates a helix which advances through the drum in an axial direction.

The inner edge of each division wall never rises above the level of the water within the casing, its highest position being as shown in F ig. 1. The space between the inner edges of adjacent division walls constitutes the port through which the water Hows into and out of the measuring compartment as such compartment, in the rotation ot' the drum, is submerged below the water level and then litted above the saine. The passage of the gas through the measuring compartments causes the drum to turn in a counter-clockwise direction, viewing' Fig. 2.

Each division wall, as best shown in Fig. 3, comprises a plurality of adjacent curved sections 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 which are angularly disposed with relation to one another and are arranged in the :order named with their adjacent edges abutting. All of said wall sections, with the exception of section 17, are of the shapeot conical surfaces, the section 17 being' substantially of the shape of a truste-conical surface, and all are bounded by straight lines, which are elements of their respective cones. Each wall section, owing to its curvature, is stil-fened and strengthened so that it is less liable to bend or distort as itis forced through the water ot the casing.

The wall sections 12. 13 and 111 are arranged with their convex faces Jorniing approximately one-halt ot' the advancing side or" the division wall ot which they arecompon-ent parts, and with their bases alternating, the bases or the sections 12 and 14 being directed outwardly and the base of the section 13 being directed inwardly. The wall sections 15, 16 and 17 are arranged with their convex faces vforming approximately one-halt of the receding side of the division wall and with their bases alternating, the bases or' the sections 15 and 17 being directed outwardly and the base of the section 16 being directed inwardly. The

sections 14 and 15 adjoin each other at the middle 'of the division wall. The curved planes of the several sections are obliquely disposed with respect to the axis of the drum except at the middle of the division Wall Where the sections 14 and 15 adjoin. Thus it will be seen that adjacent wall sections, with the exception of the sections 14 and 15, join each other at an angle, the sharpness of Which is accentuated by the curves of the adjoining sections. In this Way abrupt diagonal ridges are formed at intervals throughout the length of the division Walls which are particularly effective for the purpose of stiffening the walls Without adding to their Weight, and for preventing them from buckling. Additional rigidity is imparted to the division Walls by reason of the fact that the stiffening ridges are inclined alternately in opposite directions.

The inlet end of each division Wall is provided with an end Wall 18 (Fig. 3) which is nearly perpendicular to the axis of the drum and is connected with the Wall section .12 by'a curved end section 19, the convex vided with flanges 2O and 21 which surround the dry Well, as shown inFig. 1.

The outlet end of each division4 Wall is provided with perpendicular Wall 22 (Fig. 3) Which is connected to the Wall section 1T by a curved end section 23, the convex face of which is directed toward the same side of the division Wall as the convex face of the adjacent section 17.

The inlet and outlet end Walls 18 and 22 extend substantially at right angles to each other, the advancing edge 24 of the inlet'end wall of one division Wall overlapping the curved connecting section 19 of the division Wall next in advance in the direction of ro. tation of the drum, thus forming between said edge and said section an elongated port 25 (Fig. 2) for the entrance of the gas into the measuring compartment as the end wall rises above the Water level. In a similar manner the receding edge 26 of the outlet end Wall 22 overlaps the curved connecting section 23 of the next following division Wall to form an elongated outlet port 27, as indicated by dott-ed lines in Fig. 2, through which the gas may escape from the measuring compartment out into the casing 4 after the inlet end Wall has dipped below the Water level to close the inlet port.

The inlet end of the drum is closed, except for an axial opening into which' projects the inlet pipe 5, by a head or disk 2S connected with the shell 10, and the portions 2O and 21 extending from the inlet end Wall V18, the outer portions of the disk thus closing the side of the measuring compartments at the inlet end ofthe drum While the inner portion of the disk forms the' side Wall of an inlet chamber into Which the gas is delivered by the inlet pipe 5 and from which the gas passes into the measuring compartments successively as their respective inlet ports rise above the Water level.

The drum with its division and end Walls is supported by a plurality of angle-iron arms or supports extending from hubs on the shaft 8. As shown in 1, a pair of hubs 29 are secured to thel shaft 3 near its opposite ends, and substantially midway on the shaft between the end hubs 29 is secured a middle hub 30. The end hubs 29 are of a shape resembling generally a Greek cross and comprise a cylindrical portion 30 upon the shaft, a series of spokes 31, radiating therefrom and a cross-shaped rim 32 carried by the spokes. Each of these hubs is slightly unsymmetrical for convenience in attaching the supporting arms, as hereinafter described, and the tvvo hubs differ slightly in marginal contour to accommodate the different angular positions of the supporting arms at Vopposite ends of the drum. The middle hub 30 is a plain cylindrical hub having four short substantially radial projections 33 to Which certain of the supporting arms are riveted.

Each of the hubs on the shaft S carries riveted thereto four supporting arms which extend from the hub to the shell of the drum. VThe end hubs 29` each carry four supporting arms 34 which are arranged at an angle to the radius, as shown in Fig. 2, and they are also inclined inwardly toward the middle portions of the division Walls, as shown in Fig. 1. These arms 34 are supported intermediate their ends by angle-iron braces 35 carried by the hubs 29. The mid- 'dle hub 30 carries four supporting arms 36 which are radially disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the drum.

lThe outer ends of the three sets of supporting arms are secured to the shell of the drum and to rings or bands 37 extending around the outer surface thereof. lThe arms 34, Which are nearer the inlet end of the drum, are riveted to the division Walls at the junction of the conically curved sections 12 and 13, While the arms 34, which are nearer the outlet end of the drum, are riveted to the division Walls at the junction of the Wall sections 16 and 17. The arms 36 are riveted to the division Walls along the adjoining edges of the wall sections 14 and 15. The shell of the Vdrum and the division Walls are supported and strengthened by the arms and braces above described in such a manner that they are held firmly in position and a light, strong and rigid structure is produced.

In order to further strengthen the drum and prevent the division Walls from being distorted as they are forced through the water, the adjacent division walls are connected by means of tie-rods 38, each extending from the outer edge of one division wall at the outer extremity of the supporting arm 34 which is nearer the outlet end of tl e drum, to the outer edge of the adjacent division wall at the outer extremity of the supporting arm 34 which is nearer the inlet end of the drum. The tie-rods, thus arranged, extend nearly perpendicularly to thc portions of the division walls to which their opposite ends are attached, and provide a very effective means for stifiening the drum and distributing the stresses to which the division walls are subjected during the operation of the meter.

A certain amount of water friction is developed in the space between the shell of the drum and the stationary casing. It has been found that by increasing the width of said space there will be less disturbance of the water therein as the drum revolves and accordingly less friction will be developed. In order to increase the width of the water chamber so as to lessen the amount of water friction without decreasing the size of the drum or enlarging the casing, the bearings for the shaft S are eccentrically located within the casing, as shown in Fig. l, so that the shell of the drum comes nearer to the top of the casing than the bottom. IVith this construction, since there is less disturbance of the water, the water friction is-materially reduced, so that the rotational speed of the drum Aand consequently its measuring capacity is increased. The space between the shell ofthe drum and the casing above the Water level, however, is necessarily decreased, and accordingly the measured gas is not made to flow through the space, but passes through the outlet ports 27 of the drum directly to the outlet pipe 6 Vin the casing which is located opposite the outlet end of the drum.

A meter embodying one or more of the above described features of the present invention will be of a lighter and far more rigid construction than any heretofore produced, enabling the drum to be driven at a much higher speed without liability of its becoming distorted or injured, and thereby increasing the measuring capacity of the meter.

TWhile it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement 0f parts shown and described, it is to be understood that this construction and arrangement may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the invention and that the different features of the invention as defined by the claims are susceptible of separate embodiment.

Having thus described the present invention, what is claimed is l. In a gas meter the combination with a stationary casing, of a drum mounted to revolve therein comprising a cylindrical shell having internal division walls, each wall comprising a plurality of surfaces of alternately inverted cones united along a common element of intersection to produce stiffening ridgesv inclined alternately in opposite directions, and means for rotatably supporting the drum in the casing.

2. In a gas meter the combination with a stationary casing, of a drum mounted to recal surface, a shaft, bearings in the casingv for the shaft, a hub secured to the shaft, and supporting arms extending from the hub and secured to the division walls along the adjoining edges of the adjacent wall sections.

4;. In a gas meter the combination with a stationary casing, of a drum mounted to revolve therein comprising a cylindrical shell having internal division Walls, each wall comprising a plurality of adjacent curved sections, each section of the shape of a conical surface, a shaft, bearings in the casing for the shaft, hubs secured to the shaft, and supporting arms extending outwardly from the hubs and inclining outwardly toward the medial transverse plane of the drum.

5. In a gas meter the combination with a stationary casing, of a drum mounted to revolve therein comprising a cylindrical shell having internal division walls, a tie-rod extending from each division wall to the adjacent wall, and means for rotatably supporting the drum in the Casing.

6. In a gas meter the combination with a stationary casing, of a drum mounted to revolve therein comprising a cylindrical shell having internal division walls obliquely inclined to the axis of the drum, and a tie-rod connecting each division wall with the adjacent wall, the rod extending substantially at right angles to the portions of the division walls to which its opposite ends are connected, and means for rotatably supporting the drum in the casing.

7. In a gas meter the combination with a stationary casing, of a drum mounted to revolve therein comprising a cylindrical shell having internal division walls, each Wall comprising a plurality of adjacent curved sections, a shaft, bearings in the casing for the shaft, a hub secured to the shaft, supporting arms extending from thel hub and secured to the division walls, and tie-rods connecting adjacent division Walls, the tierods being secured at their opposite ends to a supporting arm on each division Wall.

8. In a gas meti-:i1 the combination with LV stationary easing, of a drum mounted to revolVe therein comprising n cylindrical shell lo-having internal division walls, each Wall Y comprising a plurality of adjacent curved sections, a shaft, hubs on the shaft, arms extending outwardly from the hubs and inelining outwardly toward the medial transverse plane of the drum for supporting the division Walls, and tie-rods connecting the diagonally nearer ends of the supporting amis of adjacent division Walls.

CHARLES W. HINMAN. 

